Esplanade Pavilion

The Pavilion is an ornate cast-iron seaside building on the Eastern Esplanade, built in the Chinese manner. It was the work of Walter MacFarlane of Glasgow, from the same mould as its twin, the Pavilion in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, built two years earlier. It entertained concert parties and a variety of summer and winter entertainment for many years. After the fire at the Theatre Royal, it was the town’s only theatre. It was on one level with a platform stage. A proscenium was installed later. There was no fly tower.

In 1991, a bitter local battle developed when it was proposed to demolish the Pavilion. The shell was saved when a bowling alley was built on the seaward side to which the Pavilion itself was coupled, forming an entrance and refreshment area. This development subsidised the restoration of the pleasing exterior. The Ryde Theatre now serves the town, but the Pavilion could have been restored and used for summer entertainment; a possibility which, perhaps, should still be kept in view.